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IVF Kids Score Better on Academic Tests

Children conceived by in vitro fertilization (IVF) actually perform better than age-and gender-matched peers on academic tests, a new study found.

The University of Iowa study found that children who were conceived by IVF actually scored better than their peers on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills and the Iowa Test for Educational Development (ITBS/ED).

"Our findings are reassuring for clinicians and patients as they suggest that being conceived through IVF does not have any detrimental effects on a child's intelligence or cognitive development," said study's lead author Bradley Van Voorhis.

For the study, Van Voorhis and colleagues compared the academic performance of 423 Iowa children, ages 8 to 17, who were conceived by IVF at UI Hospitals and Clinics with the performance of 372 age- and gender-matched peers from the same Iowa schools.

The researchers also analyzed whether different characteristics of the children, parents or IVF methods affected children's test scores.

The study found that children born by IVF performed above average on standardized tests compared to their peers.

Importantly, the study also showed that different IVF procedures — using fresh versus frozen embryos — and different methods of insemination had no effect on children's test scores.